Friday 2nd May. Glider checked and serviced with new wires. Instruments checked. Car packed. Room booked in shared cottage (thanks to Major Jenny "Ma'am" Buck for organising). Off to Wales I went for the much anticipated Round 1 of the British Hang Gliding Open Series (BOS) 2014. The first of three 5 day competitions held at different locations throughout the UK
Arriving late in the evening I stopped by The Vine Inn in Llangatock, just on the outskirts of Crickhowell. Jill and Andrew always make us feel very welcome, have the fire going, serve up excellent food, have some nice ales on tap, and put up with us "playing" their selection of hunting horns! Perfect. I was looking forward to seeing my flying friends, most of whom I don't see for months over the Winter. Funny old way of life!
After an evening catching up with old mates, I finally left the pub a bit later than intended and made my way up to Tim and Babs caravan where I slept in the hammock (the cottage's heating had broken down so was not available until the Saturday).
Saturday 3rd May
Bleary eyed and with frozen legs, I woke to blue skies and morning sunshine...
Summoned to briefing by the blast of the air horn, and after a remote weather forecast from our resident weather guru Rebekah Sherwin (a professional weather forecaster and partner to one of our pilots - how lucky are we?!), Nick Pain, our new Meet Director, quickly dispatched us off to The Blorenge, a 1700' mountain over looking Abergavenny. WIth light SE winds and reasonable thermic activity forecast, a high launch point was needed to give pilots time in the air to find some lift. A few 4x4 trips later and the entire field of 40+ pilots were busy rigging on the SE face, in amongst a handful of solo and dual PG pilots. In the light winds, the shallow take off slope provided some entertainment as we watched PG pilots either just making it over the lip of the hill or piling in before it. May be it was a sign of things to come...
Air horn blast. Briefing. A 105km "Out and Return" race to goal was called. With crowded rigging and launch area pilots were trying to find the best place to launch in the variable conditions. The wind on the hill was indicating SE, the clouds NE, and occasionally the wind switching around on the hill - it was going to be critical to get the take off right.
After a fair bit of waiting around, and pilots shuffling from one TO area to another, Justin Needham launched in to what can best be described as "scratchy" conditions. Often disappearing down the inhospitable south side of the hill but clawing his way back up. An inspiring effort.
As more and more pilots launched and started maintaining height, I prepared to launch from the NE spur - the switching winds were making decisions quite difficult, however with Wack Juan Owt and Carl Wallbank launching just in front of me, I was good to go. As a rigid dropped in to my launch spot, I was left with a shorter run and a second "lip" to clear. Gliders above and below were starting to climb. Now was the time to launch. With a slight breeze blowing up the hill and with a good take off, I would soon be climbing with them.
After committing to a take off, apparently the wind switched and was blowing across, not up, the hill. With the shorter run, and the lip to clear, I was doomed. Before any "incident" there is always a nano-second when you know it is going wrong. Its that crucial awareness and the action you take which will dictate whether you walk away or end up injured. Luckily I let go of the glider before impact. Damage? Two broken uprights. Injuries: A bit of a sore shoulder but mainly badly bruised pride and confidence. Thanks Lorenzo for calmly organising the clear up process. The thing about a flying accident is that it is normally 100% pilot error. No-one to blame but myself, and that hurts.
As I de-rigged the glider and listened on the radio I could hear the excellent progress that some of the pilots were making - Gordon Rigg, Jusitn Needham, Grant Crossingham, Dave Matthews, Tony Stephens, Wack Juan... the usual suspects were storming the course. Oh well, nothing like really rubbing your nose in the s**t just to make you feel better!
Driving back down the hill we had to assist Sue Brooks who had spiked the tyre of their 4x4 Skoda on a nasty sharp rock. To be fair, I thought it was brave bringing a car, rather than a truck, up the track. Oh well, I could do some good today by helping lift the front of the car to get the jack underneath, change the wheel, and then drive the car to a safe spot.
Back at the camp site I stripped off the broken uprights from the glider, ready to put on the new parts supplied by Cloud 9. With their help the glider was soon back in one piece and ready to fly. Phippsy from Cloud 9 Hang Gliding and Paragliding is a superb dealer - I bought my excellent Wills Wing T2C from him in the previous year because the support he offers to customers and pilots competing at the BOS and the Nationals (held abroad) is second to none. In fact, up until recently he has been the ONLY dealer to support the flying community in this way, and even sponsors the competitions by providing day prizes to task winners and for exceptional performances.
A bad day for me, but a good day for many others. With Brit Champion Tim King returning after injury and getting to goal, Luke Nichol, flying his new ATOS VR won the Class 5 task, giving more senior members of Team GB (flying at the Class 5 World Championships in June), a run for their money.
Kathleen
Rigg launched early as a non-competitor to get some clear airspace, with Cyril Stewart taking off just as the launch window opened. Both pilots started
climbing slowly but with warnings of not going on task until at least 1000'
above take off and in a climb, everyone watched with interest as Cyril drifted
over the back. Would he go? No. Obviously not confident that the lift would
continue he glided back to the front arriving very low. And that was not the
only entertainment Cyril was going to provide for the day...
Frequently
climbing but getting drilled on glides forward, it was frustrating getting high
but not maintaining the climb to get over the back. Looking back downwind at
the valleys beyond, I could understand the warnings of clearing the first
valley. Landing options did not fill me with great confidence of taking the
plunge, and after yesterdays events, I wanted to ensure a good outcome for
today's flying.
After
about an hour of flying both Phippsy and I were climbing well within a few
hundred metres of each other. The views from 3000' towards the coast were
fantastic. As we climbed I noticed Phippsy's climb accelerate but not wanting
to get drilled on a glide I stuck with my climb. Unfortunately the lift died as
Phippsy continued upwards, leaving me behind while he turned down wind and
went. I darted over to where he had been but had missed my last
opportunity to leave the hill.
The
next hour was spent trying to get away but with weakening climbs and time
getting on, I was going to have to make a decision about calling it a day.
Darren Brown was flying near to me and we took a couple of last climbs before I
headed out in to the valley towards the bottom landing field. Darren managed to
scratch back up for a top landing, while I set up my approach away from the
cemetery over a more open piece of ground. With a glide cross wind along the
base leg I turned into wind around the rugby posts and landed. Gremlins gone,
but a bit disappointed not to have left the hill.
The early land by time had been set to allow all the pilots to attend the usual BOS meal, held at every round of the competition. This year, it was going to be a very special evening. In memory of Pete Coad, a truly inspirational HG Meethead who died suddenly at the end of last year, this years meal was a Memorial Dinner. As a mark of respect for his positive attitude on life we all wore Hawaiian shirts, Pete's trade mark item of clothing.
Monday 6th May - Blown Out
A day for Parachute Repacking (courtesy of Greg Emms), Competition Flying Talk (Gordon Rigg and Cloud 9 Hang Gliding), "How To Use Tracker" (Richard Hunt), a BHGC Panel meeting, and making up Mini Kobo/GPS/XCSoar units (Miles Hockcliffe).
Tuesday 7th May
A day for Methyr Tydfil. A brisk SW wind was forecast with low cloud base and freshening winds. With a diminished number of pilots, the flying circus headed off to the site, notorious for its dumped waste and car break-ins, but famous for delivering some excellent flying. I had previously done a personal best from Merthyr and looking at the sky, was getting excited that today could also turn out well. A straight race to goal was set with a single early start gate to encourage pilots to get "on course" sooner rather than later due to the forecast of worsening conditions.
Rigged and ready to go, the sky was soon filled with a mixture of Class 1 flexwings andClass 5 rigid wings. The conditions were decidedly "bumpy", causing some extreme flynig attitudes, especially for the rigids. Luke Nichol reported later that he had nearly been tipped over (inverted)
With only few patches of sunlight, it was not ideal to think about leaving the hill - again, staying high during the first part of the flight was very important to get out away from the valleys to the flat lands. As a better cycle came through, the whole ridge seemed to start working. Gordon in the lead gaggle gave a heads up that he was close to going. Starting to close in on the gaggle, but lower than I would have ideally liked,
Gordon made the call that he was off. I stayed with the gaggle as we drifted away and out
of touch with the Merthyr ridge. No going back now. The sky soon became a melée of gliders mincing around in very weak lift just 2km over the back of the hill. Before long, the entire gaggle (probably 15 pilots) were scattered over the Welsh hills within spitting distance of each other having made huge distances of between 2 and 9 kms! All the while, Justin Needham dropped on to the Fochriw ridge which I had tried to reach while being dropped out of the failed climb. As I derigged I watched him tirelessly and patiently work the ridge until he was rewarded with a climb that took him to cloud base. 80kms later he was in goal at Tewkesbury with Johnny Carr, the only two flexis to make it, with Stewart Reid making it in on his shiny new rigid. Bravo.
And that was to be the last flight of the competition. Having delayed calling the comp off due to weather, we were greeted on Wednesday with blustery showers. With a shortened award ceremony, mention was still made of task winners and pilots making notable performances, including Greg Emms who flew a PB of 40km in the Club Class.
Full results can be seen here.
So, the first round of the BOS completed. And what a good competition it was with the usual highs and lows of flying (excuse the pun). I certainly have to get my mojo back if I am to have any chance of securing a reasonable result by the end of the season, but with only the best six scores counting to the cumulative result, and only one decent goal flight closing down the points gap, there is hope! Nick Pain must be commended for his main class task setting, eeking out good tasks from somewhat mediocre conditions. And as always its the camaraderie of the flying community that really makes the whole thing special.
Round 2 in Mid Wales? Bring it on.... !
Arriving late in the evening I stopped by The Vine Inn in Llangatock, just on the outskirts of Crickhowell. Jill and Andrew always make us feel very welcome, have the fire going, serve up excellent food, have some nice ales on tap, and put up with us "playing" their selection of hunting horns! Perfect. I was looking forward to seeing my flying friends, most of whom I don't see for months over the Winter. Funny old way of life! After an evening catching up with old mates, I finally left the pub a bit later than intended and made my way up to Tim and Babs caravan where I slept in the hammock (the cottage's heating had broken down so was not available until the Saturday).
Saturday 3rd May
Bleary eyed and with frozen legs, I woke to blue skies and morning sunshine...
 |
| The Blorenge |
 |
| (C) Claudia Keller |
After a fair bit of waiting around, and pilots shuffling from one TO area to another, Justin Needham launched in to what can best be described as "scratchy" conditions. Often disappearing down the inhospitable south side of the hill but clawing his way back up. An inspiring effort.
 |
| (C) Claudia Keller |
After committing to a take off, apparently the wind switched and was blowing across, not up, the hill. With the shorter run, and the lip to clear, I was doomed. Before any "incident" there is always a nano-second when you know it is going wrong. Its that crucial awareness and the action you take which will dictate whether you walk away or end up injured. Luckily I let go of the glider before impact. Damage? Two broken uprights. Injuries: A bit of a sore shoulder but mainly badly bruised pride and confidence. Thanks Lorenzo for calmly organising the clear up process. The thing about a flying accident is that it is normally 100% pilot error. No-one to blame but myself, and that hurts.
As I de-rigged the glider and listened on the radio I could hear the excellent progress that some of the pilots were making - Gordon Rigg, Jusitn Needham, Grant Crossingham, Dave Matthews, Tony Stephens, Wack Juan... the usual suspects were storming the course. Oh well, nothing like really rubbing your nose in the s**t just to make you feel better!
Driving back down the hill we had to assist Sue Brooks who had spiked the tyre of their 4x4 Skoda on a nasty sharp rock. To be fair, I thought it was brave bringing a car, rather than a truck, up the track. Oh well, I could do some good today by helping lift the front of the car to get the jack underneath, change the wheel, and then drive the car to a safe spot.
 |
| Phippsy mends my T2C |
Well, tomorrow is another day...
Sunday
4th May 2014
After
the usual critical self analysis of yesterdays events and a good nights sleep I
was keen to get back in the saddle, rid myself of any gremlins, and get on with
some decent flying. Nant Y Moel was declared as the site for the day - a SW
facing hill rarely used for hang gliders because of the inhospitable terrain
"over the back". A race to
goal via one turn point was declared.
 |
| (C) Claudia Keller |
 |
| (C) Claudia Keller |
With
the steady breeze slightly off the hill, the ridge was ridge soarable which
tempted a stream of pilots off the hill. A couple of unfortunate pilots
coudln't stay up and headed for the bottom landing area, a sports field a good
glide away that was just upwind of a cemetery and housing estate. Justin "I can climb on a gnats fart" Needham was one of them - he got a lift back up and subsequently relaunched...
As I queued
up behind Lorenzo Labrador and Richard Hunt someone shouted "He's landed
on a house!" With radio messages flying around to try and ascertain
whether the pilot was injured, pilots who had landed rushed down the road to
the cemetery. The pilot was Cyril. His landing remarkable. The picture tells
the story. Never before have we seen a glider landed successfullly in such a
tight space. Either incredibly skilled or ridiculously lucky, Cyril had used up
all our "nine lives" in one go.
 |
| Cyril "Lucky" Stewart (C) Richard Wellbourne |
 |
| In company with Grant Crossingham |
With
some high cloud cutting out the heat from the sun, it became obvious that the
day was going to be challenging. I moved forward to launch and immediately
caught a weak climb to clear take off and give me scope to explore the ridge,
looking for areas of better lift. Luke Nichol was the first to make it away
from the ridge while the bottom landing field claimed a few more victims. One
pilot decided turning left would mix things up a bit, but after shouts from
others the message got through
The view looking South East across launch
After
about an hour of flying both Phippsy and I were climbing well within a few
hundred metres of each other. The views from 3000' towards the coast were
fantastic. As we climbed I noticed Phippsy's climb accelerate but not wanting
to get drilled on a glide I stuck with my climb. Unfortunately the lift died as
Phippsy continued upwards, leaving me behind while he turned down wind and
went. I darted over to where he had been but had missed my last
opportunity to leave the hill. |
| A 3000' view to the South West with bottom landing in the valley below |
 |
| Gliding forward with Darren |
The early land by time had been set to allow all the pilots to attend the usual BOS meal, held at every round of the competition. This year, it was going to be a very special evening. In memory of Pete Coad, a truly inspirational HG Meethead who died suddenly at the end of last year, this years meal was a Memorial Dinner. As a mark of respect for his positive attitude on life we all wore Hawaiian shirts, Pete's trade mark item of clothing.
Angela
Coad, Pete's wife, had come to join us for the entire competition, camping in
the "van" they had bought to enjoy travelling. At the meal, Angie was
presented with the BHPA's "Presidents Trophy", posthumously awarded
to Pete for his outstanding contribution to hang gliding. He is sorely missed.
Monday 6th May - Blown Out
A day for Parachute Repacking (courtesy of Greg Emms), Competition Flying Talk (Gordon Rigg and Cloud 9 Hang Gliding), "How To Use Tracker" (Richard Hunt), a BHGC Panel meeting, and making up Mini Kobo/GPS/XCSoar units (Miles Hockcliffe).
Tuesday 7th May
A day for Methyr Tydfil. A brisk SW wind was forecast with low cloud base and freshening winds. With a diminished number of pilots, the flying circus headed off to the site, notorious for its dumped waste and car break-ins, but famous for delivering some excellent flying. I had previously done a personal best from Merthyr and looking at the sky, was getting excited that today could also turn out well. A straight race to goal was set with a single early start gate to encourage pilots to get "on course" sooner rather than later due to the forecast of worsening conditions.
 |
| Check out the angle of the rigid...! |
 |
| Playing catchup with gliders above |
With only few patches of sunlight, it was not ideal to think about leaving the hill - again, staying high during the first part of the flight was very important to get out away from the valleys to the flat lands. As a better cycle came through, the whole ridge seemed to start working. Gordon in the lead gaggle gave a heads up that he was close to going. Starting to close in on the gaggle, but lower than I would have ideally liked,
Gordon made the call that he was off. I stayed with the gaggle as we drifted away and out
 |
| Greg leaving the big boys behind! (C) Greg Emms |
Full results can be seen here.
So, the first round of the BOS completed. And what a good competition it was with the usual highs and lows of flying (excuse the pun). I certainly have to get my mojo back if I am to have any chance of securing a reasonable result by the end of the season, but with only the best six scores counting to the cumulative result, and only one decent goal flight closing down the points gap, there is hope! Nick Pain must be commended for his main class task setting, eeking out good tasks from somewhat mediocre conditions. And as always its the camaraderie of the flying community that really makes the whole thing special.
Round 2 in Mid Wales? Bring it on.... !
